The Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat will be going all-out to pick up a huge victory when they square off in their playoff-seeding showdown on Monday night. Better yet, this clash has all the makings of another ‘street-brawl’ kind of showdown following their hotly contested meeting in January. Now, let’s find out if the streaking Pacers can extend their winning ways or whether Miami is a better pick as a slight favorite so you can make your bets against their NBA odds.
NBA Picks – Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers
Why Bet On Indiana
Point blank…there are a lot of good reasons to back Indiana in this affair. Not only have the Pacers won four of five games since the restart, but they – like everyone else – has watched in complete and utter awe as electrifying small forward T.J. Warren has become the hottest player on the planet since entering the bubble. The former Phoenix Suns first round draft pick is putting up a mind-boggling 34.8 points on a sizzling 60.5 percent shooting from the field and 41.1 percent from beyond the arc. The 26-year-old scoring machine put up a career-high 53 points in the restart opener while topping the 30-point plateau in four of five games in the bubble, which Indiana won each time. The Pacers got 39 points from warren in their 116-111 win over LeBron and the Lakers on Saturday. Malcolm Brogdon added 24 points and six assists in the win while Victor Oladipo had a fine all-around game with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Why Bet On Miami
Miami won two of their first three games in the bubble but have dropped two straight in falling to Milwaukee and Phoenix, 119-112 on Thursday and Saturday. The good news is that the Heat will have team leader Jimmy Butler back on the floor after the all-star swingman missed the last three games with a sore right foot. Miami will also be getting back veteran point guard Goran Dragic after he missed the past two games with a sprained left ankle
General Game Info Indiana Pacers (43-27) at Miami Heat (43-27)
- When: Monday, August 10, 2020 at 8:00 PM ET
- Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando, FL
- Heat vs Pacers Live: NBA League Pass
- NBA Odds: Miami -3
- Total: 220
Expert Analysis and Prediction
There’s a lot riding on the line with these two teams owning identical 43-27 records. Miami is currently in fourth place in the East and the Heat have clinched the tiebreaker by virtue of being a division champion. Still, Miami could fall as low as No. 6 in the East. The Pacers and heat will play one another twice over the next five days. Adding more intrigue to this clash is the fact that Butler and Warren got into a heated argument the last time these two met. Warren was ejected for a middle finger directed at Butler, who responded by blowing a kiss in Warren’s direction.
“He’s trash,” Butler said shortly after the Heat’s 122-108 road win on Jan. 8 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. “He’s soft. He’s soft,” Butler added.
Butler’s comments aside, I love the way Indy is playing right now. No one has been able to contain T.J. Warren and I just don’t see Butler and the Heat being able to do the same either. The Pacers have a very well-round team with Warren, Malcolm Brogdon and Victor Oladipo trying to get back to the form that made him an elite all-star prior to suffering a horrific knee injury.
Pacers are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games as an underdog and 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall. Miami has gone 21-7 ATS in their last 28 games following a straight up loss, but Indy is a near-perfect 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings. I like the Pacers to cover the chalk by winning outright.
Pick: Indiana 114 Miami 108
